STORIA DEL VIAGGIO E DEI VIAGGIATORI IN MEDIO ORIENTE
(objectives)
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: Travel literature has been an important vehicle of knowledge and documentation of otherwise little-known realities, but it has also contributed to creating stereotyped images of the "Orient" and its inhabitants in the so-called "Western" culture. The course will address the history of travel, discovery and exploration of Kurdistan, the region inhabited by people of Kurdish language and culture spanning across the borders of present-day Iran, Iraq, Syria, Turkey, and Armenia. By examining excerpts of travel literature and other documentation produced by European travellers to Kurdish-inhabited lands, we will address problems related to their typology and study. The first part of the course will provide an introductory framework to contextualize further readings, and will briefly deal with the history of early European travels to Kurdistan. In the second part of the course, particular emphasis will be given to the ethnographic descriptions of socio-cultural traits (e.g., habits and customs, nomadism, religious beliefs, female roles) commonly found in European travel literature, with a closer look at the sources written in Italian between the 19th and the 20th centuries, and to women’s writings from the early 20th century.
LEARNING OUTCOMES: The treatment of these subjects will offer valuable tools for a review of the European imagery of the Kurds and for understanding the historical dynamics characterizing contemporary Kurdistan. At the end of the course, the students will have developed: 1. (Knowledge and understanding) basic knowledge of the geography of the Kurdish region and its ethnoreligious diversity; ability to analyze travel writings (historical periodization, authors’ ideological background, travel motivations, etc.); 2. (Applied knowledge and understanding) ability to contextualize historical events and processes in the Kurdish area; 3. (Making judgments) flexibility of judgment and critical thinking to spot Eurocentric stereotypes in the representation of Kurdistan and the Kurds; 4. (Communication skills) Ability to discuss the topics addressed, through active and purposeful participation in lectures and laboratory activities; 5. (Learning skills) ability to carry out bibliographic research and retrieve open-source materials for the independent study of the topics of interest.
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Teacher
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FILIPPONE Elina
(syllabus)
• Introduction to the problems characterizing the study of travel literature • Introduction to the problems characterizing the study of the Iranian and Islamic world, in particular Shiite (introduction aimed at placing the proposed themes in a critical historical framework) • Cavour's policy and the Eastern question • The long planning phase of the Sardinian/Italian mission in Persia • The Iran of the Qajar dynasty and the figure of Naseroddin Shah • The main phases of the Italian mission and the results achieved • De Filippi, Note di un viaggio in Persia nel 1862 (Milan 1865): reading of passages and comments • Grimaldi del Poggetto, Ricordi di un ufficiale dell'antico esercito sardo (Turin 1891-1893): reading of passages and comments • The photo album by Luigi Montabone (Italian Mission 1862) • Iran of the Pahlavi dynasty and the figure of Mohammad Reza Shah • Vincenzo Bianchini: biography and works • Acqua del diavolo by Vincenzo Bianchini: reading and commentary of selected passages
(reference books)
M. Gusso, La Missione diplomatica italiana in Persia nel 1862, Circolo Vittoriese di Ricerche Storiche Testo esteso e annotato della Conferenza tenuta nella Biblioteca Comunale il 8 aprile 2016 [https://www.academia.edu/32442842/La_Missione_diplomatica_italiana_in_Persia_nel_1862]
F. De Filippi, Note di un viaggio in Persia nel 1862, Milano 1865 S. Grimaldi del Poggetto, Ricordi di un ufficiale dell'antico esercito sardo, Torino 1891-1893 (vol. III)
V. Bianchini, Acqua del diavolo, Leonardo da Vinci 1962
Further teaching material will be distributed during the course and made available on the Moodle platform. Non-attending students are required to contact the teacher.
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Dates of beginning and end of teaching activities
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Delivery mode
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Traditional
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Attendance
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not mandatory
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Evaluation methods
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Oral exam
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